Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.42
Liaison Andrew D'Amico
Submission Date Aug. 25, 2021

STARS v2.2

Princeton University
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Kathy Hackett
Executive Director
High Meadows Environmental Institute
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an ongoing program that offers incentives for academic staff in multiple disciplines or departments to develop new sustainability courses and/or incorporate sustainability into existing courses? :
Yes

A brief description of the incentive program(s):

Through its Grand Challenges Program (GC), High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) provides seed research grants to faculty seeking to redirect their research to address environmental challenges including energy and climate, urban sustainability and resilience, water issues, and biodiversity. Priority for funding new research projects as part of the GC Program is given to faculty proposals that demonstrate solid commitments to involving undergraduates in the research enterprise and to expanding the undergraduate curriculum to address complex issues of environment and sustainability.

An example of a recent Grand Challenge course was GEO 360: "Geochemistry of the Human Environment," that debuted in Spring 2017. The course offers a hands-on opportunity for students to learn about the analytical and statistical tools used to study the chemistry of the environment (air, water and soil) and how this data is ultimately applied to questions of human health and well-being. In summer 2017, Princeton students worked with Isles to collect and analyze water, soil and paint samples from Trenton residents' homes. Students also were trained in how to use the data to search for links between the environment and human health. The plan is to use the course as a mechanism for continued monitoring of urban tap water in Trenton.


A brief description of the incentives that academic staff who participate in the program(s) receive:

The Grand Challenges program enables Princeton faculty to focus their research and teaching on critical environmental problems including climate and energy, urban sustainability and resilience, water, and biodiversity. To date, the program has awarded more than $25 million in funding for 100+ faculty-led projects that demonstrate new directions in research and teaching. One to two campus-wide Grand Challenges Call for Proposals are held annually.


Website URL where information about the incentives for developing sustainability course content is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Modest support is also available through the High Meadows Foundation Sustainability Fund for faculty research projects and enhancement of courses that use the campus as a living laboratory for place-based sustainability investigation and problem-solving. See https://sustain.princeton.edu/resources/high-meadows-fund


Modest support is also available through the High Meadows Foundation Sustainability Fund for faculty research projects and enhancement of courses that use the campus as a living laboratory for place-based sustainability investigation and problem-solving. See https://sustain.princeton.edu/resources/high-meadows-fund

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